1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a one-molding frame of an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a one-molding frame of an image forming apparatus with an array type inkjet head.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet printer is a device for printing a color image on a printing medium such as paper or textile by ejecting droplets of ink onto a desired region of the printing medium.
A conventional inkjet printer usually includes an inkjet head that prints an image on a printing medium such as paper while reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the printing medium (i.e., the inkjet head moves in a width direction of the printing medium). The conventional inkjet printer is called an inkjet printer with a shuttle type inkjet head. However, the conventional inkjet printer with the shuttle type inkjet head which prints an image while reciprocating is disadvantageous because it prints images at a low speed, although the reciprocating inkjet head can print images at a high resolution.
Recently, an inkjet printer employing an inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles arranged along a width of the paper has been developed. In this type of inkjet printer, the inkjet head is kept in a fixed position without reciprocating movement while the inkjet head prints the image on the sheet of paper that is fed, thereby providing a high speed printing. The inkjet printer with the fixed inkjet head is called an array type inkjet printer.
The conventional array type inkjet printer is desirable to have a frame, in which various components of the inkjet printer, such as a paper feeding module, a printing module, and a paper ejecting module are installed and it is more desirable that the frame is made in one piece to reduce a manufacturing cost of the inkjet printer. That is, by introducing a one-piece (one-molding) frame into the conventional array type inkjet printer, a number of components required for the inkjet printer can be reduced and, thus, a number of assembling processes can be reduced.
To use the one-molding frame for the array type inkjet printer, the following points should be carefully considered. First, since the array type inkjet head is a consumable component with a limited lifespan, each time the inkjet head is replaced, a newly-installed inkjet head must be precisely aligned with the one-molding frame. Secondly, since the inkjet head is provided with nozzles to eject droplets of ink on the paper, a distance between the nozzles and the paper (a head gap) must be properly adjusted and constantly maintained while the inkjet head is operating, so as to eject the ink droplets precisely on the paper at a desired region.